Specialist Courses

Pottery

At Bensham Grove we offer a wide range of pottery courses for all ages. You will have the opportunity to try lots of different types of pottery.

Facilities and Tutors

The classes will take place in the pottery workshop. We have a wide range of specialist tools and a number of wheels. All the pottery is fired on site and there are a number of pottery technicians to aid this process.

You will be taught by one of our three pottery tutors who have a wide range of experience and knowledge and will be there to support you each step of the way. The Pottery team also organise a number of visiting artists and tutors to teach different techniques.

Current Courses

We have a number of courses running during the week, in the daytime and evening, and weekend workshops. We also have a number of one day courses including family pottery days. We offer a number of different type of pottery courses such as Ceramic Head Sculpture and Relief Modelling. To keep up to date with the courses you can follow the pottery on Facebook.

Standard Pottery courses

These courses are designed for everyone from beginners to more advanced learners, they normally take place over 4 Saturday workshops or over a 10 week block.

Pottery course overview

Our course aims to introduce a wide variety of pottery making and decorating techniques. It allows for individual approaches to ceramic expression and expands knowledge and skills.

You will cover a number of construction techniques: coiling, slabbing, pressmoulding, and throwing. Slip decoration techniques: sgraffito, inlay, sponging, uses of oxides and underglazes. Glaze decoration techniques: dipping, pouring, spraying.

You develop and plan your own unique designs and begin to discover new ways of finding inspiration.

You will learn important aspects of health and safety.

All ceramic materials, tools, and kiln firing are supplied for a cost of £32 per courses

For more information about current Pottery courses please check out the Current Course Directory or call Bensham Grove on 0191 433 6450.

Glass

At Bensham Grove we offer both courses in Stained Glass and Fused Glass.

Stained Glass and Fused Glass

Stained glass is the ancient art form of cutting and forming glass to arrange patterns and pictures and is traditionally held together by strips of lead.

The Facilities and Tutor

The classes will take place in a designated area, normally in 'The hut'. We have a range of specialist tools including hand tools and grinders for learners to use, as well as a light box, resource books etc.

At Bensham Grove there are also many examples of original and contemporary stained glass panels, which learners can use as inspiration.

Intermediate and Advanced level stained glass and fused glass courses

This course is designed as the next step after you have completed our beginners course or have some experience in stained glass.

Course Overview

After trying the two basic stained glass techniques during the beginner’s course, learners begin to focus on the techniques, design work, and projects which are of personal interest to them.

Learners will independently research colours, textures, and types of glass which they wish to use for their project work.

The skills of leading, foiling, and soldering stained glass will be covered in greater depth and learners will aim to achieve increased accuracy and precision with each of these techniques to achieve a professional finish to their work. Greater emphasis will be given to design skills and methods of adapting resource materials/photographs considering line, shape and colour to make a successful stained glass template.

Extra skills covered during the Intermediate course will include:

Soldering for three-dimensional stained glass projects to include boxes, lampshades, candleholders.
Glass etching and engraving, and adding colour to glass etchings using concentrated ink.
Incorporating less traditional materials into stained glass work, eg agate, glass nuggets, work completed during fused glass courses.

Menu